Martyrdom of Sinwar ...
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Furthermore, American officers say that after this assassination, Hamas still has thousands of armed fighters in the field and will focus on strengthening its weakened capabilities.
In addition, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz emphasized that previous assassinations of Hamas leaders have shown that the movement has neither changed its policies and ideology nor collapsed. After each assassination, new leaders emerged, and Hamas continued to recover and grow stronger than before.
Field developments in both Lebanon and Hamas since the start of the Al-Aqsa Storm have shown that Israel’s assassination strategy has not been able to undermine the structural integrity of the resistance. In fact, both Hezbollah and Hamas have escalated their struggle and launched more intense attacks against Israel after the assassination of their leaders.
Will the war End?
After the discovery of the body of the architect of the Al-Aqsa Storm, some speculation in political circles suggested a ceasefire could be attainable under the claim of Hamas’ weakening. According to US sources, former officials of the country stated yesterday that now a ceasefire, the return of hostages, and even the withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza could be possible.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also mentioned, following the martyrdom of Sinwar, that the Biden administration intends to renew its efforts with allies and partners to end the war in Gaza and carve out a new way forward. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer and national security official in the Middle East, stated, “This is an opportunity for Israel to declare victory and accept a ceasefire. A ceasefire in Gaza could lead to a reduction in regional tensions.” However, Netanyahu, after the martyrdom of Sinwar on Thursday, without referring to a potential ceasefire or prisoner exchange negotiations, said in a recorded video, “Our duty is not yet finished.” He further emphasized that “we will continue with full force until all captives are home.” The subtext here is that Israel will continue its atrocities, as any halt in the war would mean defeat. Another important issue in drawing up the ceasefire is its terms, which the United States deliberately manipulated in recent negotiations (following Haniyeh’s martyrdom) to maximize the regime’s benefit, an effort that Hamas rejected.
In this regard, Hamas reiterated yesterday its conditions for a ceasefire while emphasizing the continuation of its struggle. Al-Hayya, deputy head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, addressed the Zionists, saying that Zionist prisoners will never be freed unless the aggression stops, the occupiers fully withdraw from Gaza, and Palestinian prisoners are released. The Qassam Brigades also, in a statement detailing Sinwar’s bravery, declared, “If the criminal enemy thinks that by assassinating great resistance leaders like Sinwar, Haniyeh, Nasrallah, al-Arouri, and others, it can extinguish the flame of resistance or force it into retreat, it is deluded.”